Member postings for Jacob Leonidou

Well that was a lot of information to digest. Andy I didn't think of the clearance aspect, probably explains why the machines always have 4 jaw chucks installed (as far as I've seen).

I didn't know that they are generally made out of CI. Is that for accuracy? It would be much easier if there was compatibility between the faircut and more well known brands as for as backplates go, I'd be able to buy off the shelf. It's a pity as I'd like to be able to machine square shapes. I might focus on finding a suitable backplate soon as I've been building a benchtop belt grinder and im absolutely sick of the drill press. It's time for a change of machinery.

I appreciate the time and effort that went into such detailed responses!

Andy that was the album. Its a shame as it looked like it would have been a very interesting thread. Was it not fixed? Looked like it had been gas welded in the photo.

I might not attempt to make a backplate as I've seen a few for sale with a 7/8 diameter hole for relatively cheap on eBay, I would just need to cut the thread which I'd be able to manage.

On a more positive note I managed to clean up my turning finishes. I found that feeding to tool really slowly by hand left a much smoother finish. Only problem with that is that its a pain to wind it so slowly over long lengths.

Yes Brian I can lock the compound slide. Theres still a bit of play as I can move the saddle by hand if the half nut is not engaged. its not a massive deal I will deal with it eventually. Is there any advantage with the 6" chuck apart from being able to turn larger diameters?

Edited By Jacob Leonidou on 10/09/2020 11:08:10

Hi Howard, thanks for the information it was quite informative. You're right, it is a backplate. I was using the two terms interchangeably and I was wrong. Out of curiosity, as I've never removed a chuck from a backplate, is there provision for locating the chuck to centre it? Or is that done manually with an indicator?

Could you explain the register to me? I read up on it but it wasn't easy to understand.

Thanks

interesting project Andy, id be interested to see the result. Ill have to pull mine apart again to look a little more closely, mines pretty bad.

Also I need some advice on 4 jaw chucks. What would be the best way to go about purchasing a 4 jaw? I don't necessarily want to share face plates so how would I go about getting another? Im going to buy something cheap from ebay but the are chuck only.

On a separate note, I came across some album photos of another faircut with a cracked headstock repair. I couldn't find anything using the search function, would you happen to know if theres a thread? It looks very interesting.

Brian I have backlash everywhere. Gibs are all adjusted however, no issues there. It's not ideal but I don't do anything that precise so it doesn't bother me, eventually ill look into correcting the issue. Out of curiosity how tight were the tolerances from factory? Was there any backlash?

Bigger shed is always the better option. I'm on the lookout for a mill with no available room. The way I see it you just need to dig deeper as far as creative space arrangement goes.

Also I bought another dead centre as one the ones I used previously to align the tailstock didn't have much of a point and I wasn't confident as to its accuracy. Gave the alignment another go and it was apparent that it was out quite a bit. Explains why my my drill bits were orbiting, they were flexing and then rotating. I corrected it and its pretty spot on as far as im concerned. Excited to start drilling some holes for the wheels I need for the 2x72 finisher im building.

Have you got any ideas for correcting the backlash?

Brian you're right but I did eventually grind down a piece of HSS to have a really blunt point. I think I need to experiment more with the way I grind the point. Also might have something to do with the feed and speed. I think im only running around 350rpm at the moment.

Yeah Andy I see what you're saying. In my case the tool post is mild steel and all the tools are the same height (10mm). So locking the tool post back down is only going to apply roughly the same amount of force as when the caps crews were first adjusted. Im actually quite pleased as it's negated the need for a QCTP (for now).

I think what you're saying is that you need to invest in a mill

Haha you will be spoilt for choice.

So now that i've modified the toolpost and worked out the right combination of shims i'm quite pleased with how quickly i can change tools. This entire time i thought this type of toolpost was rubbish until i realised its effectively quick change as you can take all the clamping pressure off the tool by loosening the tightening lever. The three socket head screws dont require adjusting each time. I also added a golf ball to make it easier on my palm.

It does make a difference, albeit not as great a difference as i expected. I'm going to experiment with rounding the nose more and more until i get more favourable results. I was experimenting a little more and it seems to be improving slightly. Im tempted to buy a circle insert cutter but it would be no better than HSS ground to the same radius.

Yeah andy i see what youre saying. I could even take off the compound slide and use the cross slide as the base, i'd have to look at it more closely. Modified coach bolts are a good idea, it never occurred to me until now.

Pity you've snapped two cutters in such a short amount of time, bit of bad luck for you. I don't know a great deal about milling but i do know that carbide is not so forgiving when it comes to shock. Probably doesn't help that you were machining aluminium. I know it has a tendency to grab or even weld itself to the cutter.

Good suggestion on the broken drill bits I will have to stop throwing them out. I think that my tailstock is still off a tiny amount which is why the drill bits orbit when turning. They are drilling ever so slightly off centre.

Your lathe looks incredible. I had always thought about buying a milling attachment just for really simple stuff but seeing yours im thinking I could just as easily make one. Id just have to find a vice/slide.

It was only $1 from the hardware store so I didn't feel guilty. I actually spent 15 minutes looking through a box full off odd old spanners and couldn't bring myself to chop anything up. I have a 3/8w spanner laying around also for a nice snug fit.

I ended up getting some HSS tooling and I ground a much rounder radius which didn't seem to improve the surface finish too much. Might have to just leave with it as it is. I'm expecting shiny cuts and I think that just not possible with this equipment.

Im assuming by the right change gear you mean one with an even number of teeth?

I think it's a mixture of perhaps inexperience and poor adjustment of the tailstock. I do step up gradually, but perhaps not as gradual as i should. I suspect my headstock is not approaching the stock perpendicular to the horizontal axis (if that makes any sense), but i haven't checked yet. Either way i'll keep tuning it.

As for the tooling i think the issue is the nose radius of the inserts. It cuts fine even at low speeds, however the point is not conducive to a nice finish AFAIK. Ill buy some HSS and grind a softer point and see where that takes me. Same principal as the circular insert tooling, i might even buy one to test it out. I did get this entire set for free so i cannot complain.

Cut up and bent a few spanners today. I think they make really nice levers. I'm honestly so tired of picking up a spanner every time i need to lock or unlock something.

I was referring to Andy's milling attachment, brian. Check it out, it's pretty cool.

Sounds like a pain to go through all that for the simple purpose of locking the spindle. I do like the dividing idea! That was going to be my next question. Good work!

Very impressive, what can i say. I want one now! Would you have to lock the headstock if you were to mill a vertical slot off centre on the end of something like a bar?